The James Webb Space Telescope is equipped to unravel some of the first stars of the universe, with the assistance of its huge and powerful mirrors that captures the lights from quite 13 billion years ago. The technology utilized in the Webb telescope will also help humanity in their improved vision by the most important improvements to LASIK eye surgery.
Part of a process for measuring Webb’s mirrors has been incorporated into Johnson & Johnson Vision’s iDesign Refractive Studio, a tool that takes precise eye measurements to map imperfections in visual pathways and cornea curvature.
iDesign Refractive Studio is now available to eye doctors in 47 countries, and therefore the iDesign technology has enabled brim over 18 million successful LASIK procedures worldwide, in line with J&J.
Based on the limited information on a patient’s eyeglasses prescription, LASIK surgery today guided by the iDesign Refracted Studio can evolve over 1,200 measurements for individualized vision correction that’s also fast and safe.
The technology got its start within the early 2000s, when an Albuquerque, New Mexico-based subcontractor WaveFront Sciences worked with NASA to develop a system to live deviations in Webb’s mirrors as they were being ground and polished to specific specifications.
WaveFront Sciences incorporated a number of the algorithms developed for the Webb mirrors into a commercial product which is termed the Complete Ophthalmic Analysis System, or COAS, which could diagnose eye conditions by mapping the eye.
What is wavefront sensing?
Wavefront sensing is used to measure the shape of the mirrors during fabrication and control the optics once the telescope is in orbit whereas Ophthalmologists routinely use wavefront technology to measure aberrations of the eye. These measurements help them in diagnosis, research, and planning treatment of eye health issues.
The technology also provides more accurate eye measurements for people about to undergo Laser Refractive Surgery.